Officials in the Auqaf Department told The Express Tribune that the decision was made due to the coronavirus outbreak in the country. As per the Islamic calendar, the three days of festivities at the shrine of Sufi saint Usman Marwandi – popularly known as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar – start from Shaban 18. The shrine committee, Auqaf Department and district administration have been asked to observe the urs in a simple manner, just laying a floral wreath at the shrine without any crowd. This will be the first time that there will be no festival or other programme to celebrate the urs at the shrine. When contacted, the Auqaf Department chief administrator, Munawar Ali Mahesar, also confirmed the news about the cancellation of the annual urs.

Source: The Express Tribune April 02, 2020 12:22 UTC